A noninvasive computer-aided-theragnosis (CAT) system was developed for the early therapeutic cancer response assessment in patients with locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The proposed CAT system was based on multi-parametric quantitative ultrasound (QUS) spectroscopic methods in conjunction with advanced machine learning techniques. Specifically, a kernel-based metric named maximum mean discrepancy (MMD), a technique for learning from imbalanced data based on random undersampling, and supervised learning were investigated with response-monitoring data from LABC patients. The CAT system was tested on 56 patients using statistical significance tests and leave-one-subject-out classification techniques. Textural features using state-of-the-art local binary patterns (LBP), and gray-scale intensity features were extracted from the spectral parametric maps in the proposed CAT system. The system indicated significant differences in changes between the responding and non-responding patient populations as well as high accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity in discriminating between the two patient groups early after the start of treatment, i.e., on weeks 1 and 4 of several months of treatment. The proposed CAT system achieved an accuracy of 85%, 87%, and 90% on weeks 1, 4 and 8, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of developed CAT system for the same times was 85%, 95%, 90% and 85%, 85%, 91%, respectively. The proposed CAT system thus establishes a noninvasive framework for monitoring cancer treatment response in tumors using clinical ultrasound imaging in conjunction with machine learning techniques. Such a framework can potentially facilitate the detection of refractory responses in patients to treatment early on during a course of therapy to enable possibly switching to more efficacious treatments.


Efficient management of construction works should focus its attention on utilizing labour, equipment, and raw materials in the right way. Besides, they claim that responsible parties should evaluate labour productivity continuously and that cost control measures should be developed. Low productivity witnessed in construction is linked to internal challenges including disputes, abandonment of projects, excess budget, and time overlaps. The objective of the study was to determine the financial effect of labour related risks on completion of PPP projects. A descriptive survey design was used with simple random sampling targeting 85 members of the management team at the completed Sondu-Miriu Power project. The participants were administered with questionnaire which were sent by mail (in some cases) and selected participants encouraged to respond. Data obtained was analysed through SPSS platform using descriptive statistics and Pearson Moment correlation as inferential statistics. The study found that labour related risks in construction PPP projects included failure by employees and experts to complete assigned tasks, injuries and deaths, changing labour demands during the project as well as cases of go slow. Construction labour related risks affected the financial cost, time and quality of work performed in the construction project. The study concludes that labour related risks have a financial effect on completion of PPP projects such that as the risks increase, the financial cost increases. The study recommends that more focus should be placed on the identification and recruitment of project staff as well task allocation.


This study examines legal issues concerning contaminated areas (land and water areas polluted by industrial or other human activities). It focuses on legal obligations on the various parties who have been involved in the activities causing the pollution, or in other ways are connected to such areas. Certain prerequisites determine the examination. First, the overriding aim is to discuss a legal basis for efficient remediation of contaminated areas that, as regards this specific environmental problem, could contribute to a sustainable development in the future. Secondly, as the problem with contaminated areas is immense, legal solutions must be subject to the limits of national economy. Thirdly, any proposed obligation must conform to the "Polluter Pays Principle" and must also be accepted as just and fair by the society. Fourthly, presumably the problems with contaminated areas will remain for a substantial period. Thus, on one hand the study concerns the liability of the polluter to remediate contamination in a way that eliminates the risks for man and the environment in the future. On the other hand, the discussion relates to the responsibilities of others than the polluter - typically the landowner - to prevent contaminants spreading into the surroundings. Fifthly, the discussions are based on the idea that public environmental authorities should possess efficient legal remedies in order to impose requirements on polluters and landowners to investigate and remediate contaminated areas. The methodology used in the study is environmental legal and comparative. Legal issues are defined and solutions are proposed taking into account both the specific environmental conditions and the results from a comparison of legal rules for contaminated areas in a number of European countries. The study includes two parts. The first part describes and analyses the legislation concerning contaminated areas in four different countries: Sweden, the Netherlands, United Kingdom (England and Wales) and Denmark. It also presents briefly the legislation in this area in some other European countries and the EC White Paper on environmental liability. The second part analyses and discusses certain typical legal "key-issues" related to the problem with contaminated areas. It first approaches certain basic legal issues related to the specifies of contaminated areas: the scope of legislation for contaminated areas, the ambition of environmental measures, the use of environmental quality standards ("trigger values"), the function and legal effects of registration, finally, the content and scope of the legal duties to investigate and remediate. After that follows a discussion of certain, especially important issues related to the management of contaminated areas: the difference between a public law perspective and a private law perspective, the liabilities and responsibilities of a polluter and a landowner and, finally, legal complications related to old pollution, in particular the question if a person could be held liable for pollution that occurred before a legal requirement to remediate contaminated areas entered into force (retroactivity).


Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) has been mainly attributed to white matter (WM) pathology. However, recent evidence indicated the presence of grey matter (GM) lesions. One of the principal mediators of inflammatory processes is interleukin-1β (IL-1β), which is known to play a role in MS pathogenesis. It is unknown whether IL-1β is solely present in WM or also in GM lesions. Using an experimental MS model, we questioned whether IL-1β and the IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) are present in GM in addition to affected WM regions. Methods The expression of IL-1β and IL-1ra in chronic-relapsing EAE (cr-EAE) rats was examined using in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR. Rats were sacrificed at the peak of the first disease phase, the trough of the remission phase, and at the peak of the relapse. Histopathological characteristics of CNS lesions were studied using immunohistochemistry for PLP, CD68 and CD3 and Oil-Red O histochemistry. Results IL-1β and IL-ra expression appears to a similar extent in affected GM and WM regions in the brain and spinal cord of cr-EAE rats, particularly in perivascular and periventricular locations. IL-1β and IL-1ra expression was dedicated to macrophages and/or activated microglial cells, at sites of starting demyelination. The time-dependent expression of IL-1β and IL-1ra revealed that within the spinal cord IL-1β and IL-1ra mRNA remained present throughout the disease, whereas in the brain their expression disappeared during the relapse. Conclusions The appearance of IL-1β expressing cells in GM within the CNS during cr-EAE may explain the occurrence of several clinical deficits present in EAE and MS which cannot be attributed solely to the presence of IL-1β in WM. Endogenously produced IL-1ra seems not capable to counteract IL-1β-induced effects. We put forward that IL-1β may behold promise as a target to address GM, in addition to WM, related pathology in MS.


Particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is a simple and powerful population based stochastic search algorithm for solving optimization problems in the continuous search domain. However, the general PSO is more likely to get stuck at a local optimum and thereby leading to premature convergence when solving practical problems. One solution to avoid premature convergence is adjusting the control parameters, inertia weight and acceleration coefficients. This paper proposes two adaptive mechanisms for adjusting the inertia weights namely self adaptive PSO1 (SAPSO1) and self adaptive PSO2 (SAPSO2) for mining association rules. The accuracy of the mined rules by these two algorithms when compared to weighted PSO shows that the self adaptive PSO produces better results when compared to weighted PSO.


This Article examines certain attempts in Chinese legal scholarship to formulate alternatives to "Western" or "liberal" rule of law ideology. The Article discusses three different strands of contemporary Chinese "avant-garde" legal scholarship: (i) neo-conservative critical scholarship, which builds on American legal realism, critical legal studies, and critical social theory; (ii) a form of New Confucian virtue-based legal thought, which combines traditionalist Chinese ethics with Western virtue ethics; and (iii) certain communitarian rule of law theories. The Article identifies a paradox in the premise of Chinese avant-garde scholars' ideological renewal project: avant-garde scholars can only hope to create illusions of ideological change, often through nostalgic arguments, lest their proposals appear too unrealistic or outlandish.


Low-molecular-weight hydrocarbons in the Cl to C4 range have been detected and measured in sea water. Methane shows by far the highest concentration, followed in order by the C2, C3, and C4 fractions. In general, the concentration tends to decrease with depth, but there is a strong indication that a maximum may exist about 30 to 50 meters below the surface.


Background: The full liquid diet has been used as a transitional diet for the past 100 years. The current dietary advancements in a clinical setting include transitioning from nil per Os (NPO) to a clear liquid diet, to a full liquid diet and to a regular diet or diet as tolerated prior to discharge. The full liquid diet contains mainly milk and milk products including pudding, ice cream, oatmeal, cream of wheat, cream based soups, and any other liquid foods allowed on the clear liquid diet. Objective: To determine the opinions of clinical dietitians on the use of the full liquid diet. Design: Exploratory, qualitative study. An electronic survey using Qualtrics Survey Software was sent through the Medical Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group. Survey results were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (IBM SPSS Statistics 20). Participants: All members of the Medical Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group (MNDPG) were invited to participate in the survey. A total of 1914 dietitians are members of the MNDPG. Main outcome measures: To analyze the responses of clinical dietitians on the use of the full liquid diet. Statistical analyses performed: Chi-Squared test, means including average, mode, median, and percentages. Results: Of the 1,914 surveys delivered, 25 responses were collected. The final usable samples included 24 RDs of which 100% were female, 48% worked in a Community Hospital, 40% specialized in General Medicine, and the average number of years as a practicing RD was 13.5 years. Exactly half of the RDs believe that a solid-food diet would be well tolerated by post-operative patients and half of the RDs believe that a solid-food diet would not be well tolerated. In response to the full liquid diet having a positive contribution to the care of the post-operative GI patient, 7/24 responded with yes, 11/24 responded no and 6/24 responded with "other." Conclusions: This study provided insight into the current practicing members of the MNDPG relative to the use of the full liquid diet. Future studies are advised to more precisely examine the use of the full liquid diet, the education of physicians on the ordering of diets, and to reassess the use of the full liquid diet pertaining to the fact that dietitians are now allowed to make diet orders.


In this volume thirteen American and European scholars show how a variety of mathematical tools may be used to attack major questions in the history of parliamentary behavior. Their essays treat key topics related to the varied but comparable circumstances of seven countries. These topics include: recruitment and career patterns; actions and decisions of legislators as revealed by their roll call votes; and hypotheses that might help explain legislative behavior. Historians have long been interested in the study of parliaments, but the recent application of quantitative techniques has made possible the effective use of data too voluminous to be comprehended by traditional methods. These techniques have also permitted a more precise and searching examination of certain controversial questions. These essays provide a new measure of and challenge to long accepted views regarding the operation of parliaments."Contributors: " William O. Aydelotte, Aage R. Clausen, Gudmund Hernes, Soren Holmberg, Geoffrey Hosking, Anthony King, Donald R. Matthews, Mogens N. Pedersen, Douglas Price, Antoine Prost, Christian Rosenzveig, Peter H. Smith, and James A. Stimson.Originally published in 1977.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905."


Lyme disease is the most prevalent tick-borne disease in North America and Europe. The causative agent, Borrelia burgdorferi persists in the white-footed mouse. Infection with B. burgdorferi can cause acute to persistent multisystemic Lyme disease in humans. Some disease manifestations are also exhibited in the mouse model of Lyme disease. Genetic manipulation of B. burgdorferi remains difficult. First, B. burgdorferi contains a large number of endogenous plasmids with unique sequences encoding unknown functions. The presence of these plasmids needs to be confirmed after each genetic manipulation. Second, the restriction modification defense systems, including that encoded by bbe02 gene lead to low transformation efficiency in B. burgdorferi. Therefore, studying the molecular basis of Lyme pathogenesis is a challenge. Furthermore, investigation of the role of a specific B. burgdorferi protein throughout infection requires a large number of mice, making it labor intensive and expensive. To overcome the problems associated with low transformation efficiency and to reduce the number of mice needed for experiments, we disrupted the bbe02 gene of a highly infectious and pathogenic B. burgdorferi strain, N40 D10/E9 through insertion of a firefly luciferase gene. The bbe02 mutant shows higher transformation efficiency and maintains luciferase activity throughout infection as detected by live imaging of mice. Infectivity and pathogenesis of this mutant were comparable to the wild-type N40 strain. This mutant will serve as an ideal parental strain to examine the roles of various B. burgdorferi proteins in Lyme pathogenesis in the mouse model in the future.


Euler deconvolution is used for rapid interpretation of magnetic and gravity data. It is particularly good at delineating contacts and rapid depth estimation. The quality of the depth estimation depends mostly on the choice of the proper structural index and adequate sampling of the data. The structural index is a function of the geometry of the causative bodies. For gravity surveys, station distribution is in general irregular, and the gravity field is aliased. This results in erroneous depth estimates. By weighting the Euler equations by an error function proportional to station accuracies and the interstation distance, it is possible to reject solutions resulting from aliasing of the field and less accurate measurements. The technique is demonstrated on Bouguer anomaly data from the Charlevoix region in eastern Canada.


A new photobleacheable nanocomposite was developed as a reusable recording media. It is composed of polymer dye capsules containing TiO2 nanoparticles, leuco dyes, and a developer. The polymer dye capsules were prepared using the convenient one-step mini-emulsion polymerization. The morphology of the resultant polymer dye capsules were examined through a scanning electron microscopy (SEM), to show the capsule structure, which averaged 30~ 500 nm in size. The leuco dye was originally colorless, but it acquired color when it reacted with the developer. The blue colored dye capsule solution was stable under ambient conditions and could thus be utilized as a recording composition. The color of the recorded part, by coating the dye capsule solution on to a piece of white paper, was persistent. However, the recorded mark was bleached upon exposure to a UV light. Capsule morphology was not detected in the bleached region as examined by a SEM, indicating that titanium dioxide in the film acted as a photocatalyst to decompose the capsule structure. The bleaching was irreversible so that the recording media was reusable. The bleaching efficiency in photobleaching was shown to be higher than 75%.


We characterized the antigenic sites on the nucleocapsid protein (NP) of Hantaan virus (HTN) using 10 monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). At least seven antigenic sites were revealed by a competitive binding assay and divided into three partially overlapping antigenic regions (I, II and III). Regions I [amino acids (aa) 1-103], II (aa 104-204) and III (aa 205-402) were mapped on NP by examining the reactivity of truncated gene products. Those that corresponded to region I reacted with immune mouse serum, indicating that the region contained major linear epitopes as reported with Four corners virus (FCV) and Puumala virus (PUU) NP. At least one MAb to each region inhibited viral growth when they were introduced into cells by scrape-loading. In addition, they conferred protection from a lethal HTN challenge to newborn mice. A PEPSCAN assay localized the epitope of MAb E5/G6 between aa 166-175. Since E5/G6, which had the highest inhibitory effect both in cells and in mice, showed no virus neutralization activity by ordinary neutralization test, this region is suggested to be important for the virus growth after entry into the cells.


In this paper, on the basis of the Monte Carlo simulation, we demonstrate a method to realize logical operations by the use of the single-electron charge-induced signal transmission (CIST) circuit which we have proposed previously. First, we propose three new-type signal transmission circuits. Then, we demonstrate through construction of a NAND circuit and a full-adder circuit on the basis of the Monte Carlo simulation that we can construct any logic circuit by the use of these circuits. Since the CIST circuit can perform any logical operation and can transmit the state of the presence or absence of an electron and a hole as a binary signal over long distance during one clock cycle bidirectionally, these CIST circuits are expected to be applied to integrated circuit devices as a new circuit construction method.


Crack cocaine markets were associated with substantial increases in violence in the U.S. during the 1980s and 1990s. Using cross-city variation in the emergence of these markets, we show that the resulting violence has important long-term implications for understanding current levels of murder rates by age, sex and race. We estimate that the murder rate of young black males doubled soon after crack's entrance into a city, and that these rates were still 70 percent higher 17 years after crack's arrival. We document the role of increased gun possession as a mechanism for this increase. Following previous work, we show that the fraction of suicides by firearms is a good proxy for gun availability and that this variable among young black males follows a similar trajectory to murder rates. Access to guns by young black males explains their elevated murder rates today compared to older cohorts. The long run effects of this increase in violence are large. We attribute nearly eight percent of the murders in 2000 to the long-run effects of the emergence of crack markets. Elevated murder rates for younger black males continue through to today and can explain approximately one tenth of the gap in life expectancy between black and white males.


Alcohol-related cancers were increased among seafarers (SIR for cancer of the mouth and pharynx =1.5; esophagus = 1.4; and liver = 1.5; combined CI = 1.1-1.9). Deck crews had a significantly high risk of cancer of the pancreas (SIR = 2.0) and also prostate after 10 years since first employment (SIR = 1.6). Occupational asbestos exposure among seafarers is likely strong enough to cause excess cases of mesothelioma but not of lung cancer. Occupational exposures also may be associated with increased risk of cancers of the kidney, pancreas, prostate and old-age brain cancer in some of the main occupational categories. Cumulative ultraviolet radiation likely doubles the risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer among older men and repeated sunburns that of skin melanoma in ages below 30 (SIR among deck and engine crew = 4.6, CI = 3.1-6.5). Female ship personnel had a significantly elevated total cancer risk (observed number of cases = 732) which increased over follow-up time (SIR in the category > 20 years since the first employment was 13, CI = 1.1-1.5). This excess was attributable primarily to lung cancer (SIR = 2.6, CI = 2.0-3.3). Also cancers of the cervix uteri, vulva, and vagina showed significant excess after 10 to 20 years since first employment aboard. Cancer Causes and Control 1996,7, 231-239


Objective: To assess the effects of hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) given alone and in combination with an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) on beta-cell function in a negroid population to further explore possible ethnic differences in the effect of antihypertensive drugs on homeostasis model assessment – insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Materials and Methods: A total of 80 newly diagnosed Nigerian essential hypertensive patients were assigned to receive either HCT 25 mg daily or both HCT and lisinopril (Lis; 25/10 mg daily) in an open-label study for 12 weeks. The treatment groups were well matched in clinical and demographic baseline features. Changes in HOMA-IR from baseline to end of study (week 12), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), serum potassium, serum insulin, and blood pressure over the same period were also evaluated. Results: After 12 weeks, mean delta HOMA-IR (and %) was higher in the HCT monotherapy group; although, this change did not reach statistical significance in both groups −0.1 ± 7.1, P= 0.538 (HCT) and 0.6 ± 4.2 P= 0.913 (HCT + Lis); an insignificant increase was observed in FPG and serum insulin in both groups, whereas serum potassium decreased in similar fashion. Blood pressure reduction was similar in both groups. Analysis of HOMA-IR change according to gender in response to HCT mono- or combination therapy with Lis showed no significant difference. Conclusions: HCT monotherapy in hypertensive indigenous Nigerians, was not associated with worse metabolic effects when compared with combination therapy using Lis, an ACEI after 12 weeks. Low-dose thiazide diuretic as first-line antihypertensive medication may be safe in the short-term, further larger and long-term studies are needed to corroborate this finding.


Introduction: Apoptosis is a programmed cell death commonly investigated in researches. Objectives: According to the lack of a gold standard for definition of apoptosis, we conducted a pilot analysis to propose a new definition for apoptosis based on a previous gene expression data. Materials and Methods: As a secondary analysis, a gene expression data of a vitrification thawing induced model of apoptosis conducted on ten mice ovaries was used. Half of the samples had been treated with selenium. P53, Fas, Bax and Bcl2 were considered as apoptosis related genes. Their +∆CTs were reported. An apoptosis scoring system was designed based on regression analysis. Results: In multiple regression of the genes, the only significant association was for Bcl2 expression for prediction of apoptosis. Then a model was designed consisting of Bcl2 and some interactions that the calculated amount of its formula was considered as the scoring system (R2 = 0.989, P (>F) <0.001, Root mean square deviation = 0.082). Bax/Bcl2 ratio showed an acceptable goodness of fit for prediction of this score (R2 = 0.845, P (>F) <0.001, root mean square deviation = 0.219). No conclusive result was found for factor analysis. Conclusion: The present study used a simple approach to propose statistical models for apoptosis. A comprehensive criterion should be designed apoptosis and other biological systems to be considered as a gold standard.


This research examines the utility of the concept of institutional racism in explaining racial disparities in stop and search practice in the UK and US.
The concept of institutional racism was introduced in 1960s America. The concept was politically powerful in expanding existing understandings of racial inequalities which focused on individual prejudice and cultural pathology, to showing how racist discourses can become embedded in the structures of social formation. There were a number of analytical weaknesses inherent in the term at its conception. The concept has been utilized at various points of history in the US and UK. The 1999 Macpherson Report brought the concept of institutional racism back to popular usage in the UK, particularly in discussions around discrimination and policing.
Macpherson took as evidence of the existence of institutional racism the continued disparities in stop and search use. The power to stop and search people in the street suspected of criminal activity has long been a feature of British and American policing. Research in both countries has continually shown that these powers are being disproportionately exercised against ethnic minorities. Thus this thesis explores whether the concept is useful in explaining disproportionate stop and search outcomes. The research is based on a study of police officers from two forces in the UK and two police departments in the US. It uses semi-structured interviews, observations and draws on official policy documents and statistics. The purpose of the research is to gain an understanding of the circumstances and decision-making by officers as they conduct stop and search and to understand the context in which these decisions take place.
The findings reveal that discriminatory outcomes in stop and search are the product of not only the actions of individual officers but also national and local policies and practices. These policies and practices are devised and implemented by social actors. The disproportionate outcomes not only result from racism but also prejudice based on class and gender. The concept of institutional racism reifies individual institutions and obscures the role of social actors in institutions, who shape the policies and practices of an institution. Without an understanding of the contexts in which people draw on race ideas and what features of their social position allows them to assert these ideas into the policies and practices of an institution we are unable to apportion responsibility and build reform agendas. Thus institutional racism fails to explain the disparities in stop and search use in the UK and US.


Objectives To review and summarize the evidence for selected patient safety practices (PSPs) and factors important to their successful implementation and adoption. Data sources Searches of computerized databases for articles in peer-reviewed publications and in the gray literature. Methods The full project team took part in some or all of the following six-step report process: Development of conceptual framework Identification, selection, and prioritization of harm area topics Identification, selection, and prioritization of patient safety practices Literature searches Review of the evidence Report development To conduct the literature searches, the project team identified PSP-specific search terms and ran them for every PSP in the MEDLINE and CINHAL databases, filtering for English publications only between 2008 and 2018. Across the PSPs examined, there was wide variation in the rigor of studies included in the evidence reviews. Individual authors decided the minimum threshold of quality for including specific studies given the state of the field for each PSP. We aimed to apply the criteria drawn from the Evidence-based Practice Center "Methods Guide for Effectiveness and Comparative Effectiveness Reviews" on strength of evidence derived from GRADE. To the extent possible, authors for each review indicated the strength of evidence by practice, outcome, and/or setting. Results The five major threats to safety that were addressed include medication management issues, healthcare-associated infections, nursing sensitive events, procedural events, and diagnostic errors; and the report covers 47 PSPs in 17 specific harm areas. The PSPs were chosen for inclusion in the report based on the high-impact harms they address and interest in the status of their appropriateness for use. While the team was going through the process of selecting PSPs to address specific harm areas, it became evident that several cross-cutting contextual factors should also be reviewed. These cross-cutting practices are improving safety culture; teamwork and team training; clinical decision support; person and family engagement; cultural and linguistic competency; staff education and training; and data monitoring, audit, and feedback. Conclusions The amount of published research in patient safety has exponentially grown since the last AHRQ "Making Health Care Safer" report was published in 2013, albeit with publications varying in quality. PSPs that are more well-established are now being investigated in light of emerging harms, such as the applicability of infection-prevention-related PSPs to address the threat from multidrug-resistant organisms. Similarly, emerging PSPs are being investigated for use to address well-established harms, such as the use of clinical decision support to reduce diagnostic errors. It is clear that a wide range of factors impact the effectiveness of PSPs with respect to their ability to prevent harm.


In a landfill, excessive tensile strains or failure of the liner system due to localized subsidence underneath the geosynthetic liner, is a concern in design and operation of the landfill. The localized subsidence can be commonly withstood by reinforcements such as geogrids. A total of nine model tests were carried out to study the influence of soil arching in overburden sandy soil on the geosynthetics and the interaction between the soil and the geosynthetics. The localized subsidence was modeled by a strip trapdoor under the geosynthetic reinforcements. The reinforcement includes several layers of polyvinylchlorid (PVC) membrane or both PVC membrane and a compacted clay layer. Test results show that the vertical soil pressure acting on the geosynthetics within the subsidence zone is strongly related to the deflection of the geosynthetics. The soil pressure acting on the deflected geosynthetics will decrease to a minimum value with respect to its deflection if the final deflection is large enough, and this minimum value is almost independent of the overburden height. Otherwise, the deflection of geosynthetics cannot result in a full degree of soil arching, and the soil pressure within the subsidence zone increases with the increase of overburden height. Deflections and strains of the geosynthetics obviously decrease with the increase of their tensile stiffness. The presence of a compacted clay layer buffer can therefore reduce both deflections and strains of the geosynthetics. Finally, a composite liner structure is recommended for landfills to withstand the localized subsidences.


Objective: To determine the prevalence of disabling hearing loss (> 40 dBA) inn two industries in Nigeria
Methods: Cross – sectional survey conducted in a textile and a booting industry in Lagos, Nigeria amongst 217 noise – exposed and 155 non –noise exposed subjects. Data collection included use of a questionnaire, ontological examination, audiometric and noise level measurements.
Result: The prevalence of disabling hearing loss was significantly higher in exposed subjects (17 %) compared with non- noise exposed subjects (7%, P = 0.008), while the attributable fraction was 58%. In the textile industry , hearing loss was significantly higher amongst exposed subjects (36%) compared with non- noise exposed group ( 11% p = 0.0001 ) but the prevalence was similar amongst the group in the bottling industry ( p > 0.05 ) Furthermore , a significantly proportion of all subjects in the textile company ( 23%) had hearing loss compared with the bottling industry (2 % p = 0.0000) . Hearing loss was significantly associated with age older than 35 years (p= 0.009) and duration of employment greater than 5 years ( p = 0.02 ).
Conclusion: Disabling hearing loss was significantly higher in the noise – exposed subjects and indicates the need for a hearing conservation programme amongst these workers. Key Words: Disabling hearing loss, noise, audiometry, industry. Nigerian Journal of Clinical Practice Vol.7(1) 2004: 4-7


Background Labor provisions in free trade agreements (FTAs)—both in the U.S. and globally—were first included in the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation (NAALC), the side agreement to the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Since then provisions have evolved from commitments not just to enforce a country's own domestic labor laws, but also to adopt and enforce core labor principles of the International Labor Organization (ILO). As mandated by Congress through trade promotion authority (TPA), recent U.S. FTAs also subject labor chapters to the same dispute settlement procedures as all other obligations. Some Members view strong worker rights provisions in U.S. FTAs as an important issue and they have raised concerns over FTA partner compliance with labor commitments and the U.S. record of enforcement. These issues were a part of the debate over the TransPacific Partnership (TPP) and in the NAFTA renegotiation.


Abstract The purpose of this paper is to show the extent to which state interference in the economy affects the conditions of functioning for small and medium-sized enterprises in economies of the former eastern bloc which have already gone through the EU accession process. The data on SMEs' situation were taken from the Fact Sheets of the EU program Small Business Act. Due to the fact that the variables proposed to describe the business environment differ significantly it was necessary to standardize them. The zero unitarization method was applied to rank countries properly. Special attention in this paper is devoted to Poland and the situation of businesses operating in this country. The research has identified some areas requiring urgent changes. It is crucial to improve the situation so that companies can play a proper role in the economy. A country which could be an example of good solutions that support business development is also described.


The subject of drifted boulders has latterly very much engaged the attention of geologists, and as there is great diversity of opinion regarding the means by which they have been removed into their present situations, every additional fact which may throw light upon the subject is valuable. I was therefore much interested in hearing from Dr. Alexander's paper on the geology of the parish of Halifax, that in prosecuting the works on the line of railway, some blocks of granite had been found near Hobden-bridge, and this has led me to an examination of the bed of the river Calder, at Cromwell Bottom, about eight miles below the above-mentioned locality.

At this place the valley expands considerably in width, and the river, winding from side to side, exposes a good section of the strata through which it passes. The stream has cut through a deep alluvial soil, about six feet in thickness, beneath which is a bed of large pebbles, containing some boulders of considerable size, the majority of which are of coarse-grained sandstone from the millstone grit series, but mingled with these are many rounded fragments of granite and other crystalline rocks, whose original site is far distant. Some years since, the foundations of a mill were laid upon this gravel bed, hut on its proving insecure, the gravel was found to be only a few feet in thickness and to be succeeded by a stratum of a soft peaty nature, so deep that a twenty feet pile did ...


PURPOSE
The purpose of the study was to analyze the dosimetric characteristics (energy dependence, reproducibility and dose linearity) of nanoDot™ optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters (OSLDs) and validate their potential use during in-vivo dosimetry, specifically TBI. The manufacturer stated accuracy is ±10% for standard nanoDot™.

METHODS
At AKUH, the InLight microStar OSL dosimetry system for patient in-vivo dosimetry is in use since 2012. Twenty-five standard nanoDot™ were used in the analysis. Sensitivity and reproducibility was tested in the first part with 6MV and 18 MV Varian x-ray beams. Each OSLD was irradiated to 100cGy dose at nominal SSD (100 cm). All the OSLDs were read 3 times for average reading. Dose linearity and calibration were also performed with same beams in common clinical dose range of 0 - 500 cGy. In addition, verification of TBI absolute dose at extended SSD (500cm) was also performed.

RESULTS
The reproducibility observed with the OSLD was better than the manufacturer stated limits. Measured doses vary less than ±2% in 19(76%) OSLDs, whereas less than ±3% in 6(24%) OSLDs. Their sensitivity was approximately 525 counts per cGy. Better agreement was observed between measurements, with a standard deviation of 1.8%. A linear dose response was observed with OSLDs for both 6 and 18MV beams in 0 - 500 cGy dose range. TBI measured doses at 500 cm SSD were also confirmed to be within ±0.5% and ±1.3% of the ion chamber measured doses for 6 and 18MV beams respectively.

CONCLUSION
The dosimetric results demonstrate that nanoDot™ can be potentially used for in-vivo dosimetry verification in various clinical situations, with a high degree of accuracy and precision. In addition OSLDs exhibit better dose reproducibility with standard deviation of 1.8%. There was no significant difference in their response to 6 and 18MV beams. The dose response was also linear.


Introduction of the RCAS retroviral gene transfer technology for functional genomic studies in the chicken
The recently sequenced chicken genome now allows the identification of so far unknown genes. Some of them may play a potential role in the regulation of the immune system. In future studies roles of these genes have to be analyzed. At this in vitro studies will be used firstly. But in vivo functions of those genes will have to be described in the end. Therefore techniques for a fast and efficient over expression and knock down of candidate genes have to be established.
Goal of this work was to prove the applicability of the RCAS retroviral vector system, which has been developed in the 1980s. This highly efficient system is based on a replication competent Rous Sarkoma-Virus and has already been used in cell and developmental biology studies in the chicken. However studies on its application after hatch haven´t been performed so far, despite its particular relevance for studies on the chicken immune system as it is widely immature at the time of hatch.
In the first part of this work, a green fluorescent protein (GFP) expressing vector was constructed. An influence of the chicken line on the susceptibility of chicken embryo fibroblasts was detected in flow cytometric analyses. A possible reason could be the presence of endogenous retroviruses in less susceptible chicken lines leading to receptor interference. In accordance with this observation in in vivo tests retrovirus free chickens showed more homogenous plasma titers of RCAS based protein than a commercial chicken line. As GFP expression was predominantly seen in endothelial cells, the RCAS technology can be considered as particularly eligible for the expression of soluble proteins. Additionally viral protein was demonstrated to be expressed in bursal cells and heart muscle.
For further characterization of the RCAS system vectors for the expression of the cytokine chBAFF or a soluble chBAFF receptor construct (huBCMA-Fc) were used. Plasma expression of biologically active cytokine was detectable throughout the entire experiment (two months). RCAS(BP)A-chBAFF-Flag transduced birds showed in comparison to controls significantly increased B cell frequencies in the spleen as well as enhanced plasma antibody titers. On the other hand animals expressing the soluble receptor huBCMA-Fc showed a significant reduction of splenic B cell frequency and an inhibited development of the bursa of fabricius. These findings correspond to the data obtained in studies with recombinant proteins.
In the second part of this work the experiences with the RCAS technology were used to evaluate the function of the CD40/CD40L system as a second cytokine system. A soluble chCD40-huFc fusion protein was constructed as a functional inhibitor for CD40/CD40L interaction. In vitro tests showed that chCD40-huFc was able to bind a soluble chCD40L fusion protein. In vivo the RCAS based expression of chCD40-huFc caused a reduction of the blood B cell frequency and the bursa weight. Possibly the functional inhibition of the CD40/CD40L system decreases the number of B cells emigrating from the bursal medulla. Unlike in humans with a defect in the CD40L gene in chickens expressing chCD40-huFc the plasma IgM titer was not increased. However plasma titers of IgA and IgG were decreased, comparably with humans and mice with CD40L defects.
The RCAS gene transfer technology was proved in two different model systems as an excellent system for analyses of cytokine functions in the chicken. Furthermore this system could also be used for functional analyses of growth factors and hormones.


Management of rectal cancers with synchronous metastasis is difficult. We evaluated in 23 patients a combination of pelvic radiotherapy at the dose of 45 Gy in 5 weeks and 25 fractions with chemotherapy by 5-fluorouracil (350 mg/m2/day) and folinic acid (20 mg/m2/day) for 5 days at the time of the first and the fifth week of the irradiation. Surgery was indicated firstly in cases of stricture or secondarily for resection of the primary location and, when possible, of the metastasis. General state of health of the patients improved in 35%, symptomatology in 86% and comfort in 72% of the cases. Response rates for the primary tumor were 41% of partial response and 50% of stable disease. For the metastatic lesions, they were 9% and 59% respectively. Sixty-one per cent of patients were secondarily operated with resection of the primary tumor in 12 cases and of hepatic metastases in 2 cases. The median survival and the median survival without progression were respectively 13 and 9 months. Radiochemotherapy combination as the first treatment was beneficial in 4/5 of the patients presenting a rectal cancer with synchronous metastasis and allowed us to select those that would secondarily benefit from a surgical resection.


Requirements elicitation and management has become ever more important as products become more complex and time to market is shortened and the definitions of product lines has significantly increased project complexity. Outsourcing has added a new dimension to requirements management, exacerbating problems associated with transitioning from analysis to design. This half day tutorial will provide an introduction to product line requirements engineering from the perspective of project and product management: how it impacts project managers, quality assurance personnel, requirements analysts, developers and testers. Topics covered will include product line requirements, feature modeling, CMMI compliant requirements management and requirements analysis processes (both UML and text based). Business analysts who are interested in using UML for modeling will also find the course interesting. No formal knowledge of programming is required. developers and testers.


The \emph{rotor-router mechanism} was introduced as a deterministic alternative to the random walk in undirected graphs. In this model, a set of $k$ identical walkers is deployed in parallel, starting from a chosen subset of nodes, and moving around the graph in synchronous steps. During the process, each node maintains a cyclic ordering of its outgoing arcs, and successively propagates walkers which visit it along its outgoing arcs in round-robin fashion, according to the fixed ordering. We consider the \emph{cover time} of such a system, i.e., the number of steps after which each node has been visited by at least one walk, regardless of the starting locations of the walks. In the case of $k=1$, Yanovski et al.\ (2003) and Bampas et al.\ (2009) showed that a single walk achieves a cover time of exactly $\Theta(m D)$ for any $n$-node graph with $m$ edges and diameter $D$, and that the walker eventually stabilizes to a traversal of an Eulerian circuit on the set of all directed edges of the graph. For $k>1$ parallel walks, no similar structural behaviour can be observed. In this work we provide tight bounds on the cover time of $k$ parallel rotor walks in a graph. We show that this cover time is at most $\Theta (m D / \log k)$ and at least $\Theta (m D / k)$ for any graph, which corresponds to a speedup of between $\Theta(\log k)$ and $\Theta(k)$ with respect to the cover time of a single walk. Both of these extremal values of speedup are achieved for some graph classes. Our results hold for up to a polynomially large number of walks, $k = O(poly(n))$.


Network-based space layouts are fine-grained models of architectural spaces. Potential application domains include but are not limited to building services. In previous work, a schema for network-based space layouts was introduced. The schema consists of two complementary subschemas: a layout element network and a geometry schema. A layout element network represents layout elements and topological relationships between them. It facilitates queries such as shortest path or nearest neighbor queries, which are useful, for example, in indoor navigation, lighting control, or climate control applications.This paper examines two related issues concerning the consistency of network-based space layouts. Addressing these issues completes the schema design and provides a robust foundation for the development of applications which use network-based space layouts.First, how can the consistency of a network-based space layout be checked, both with respect to itself and the represented architectural spaces? For example, the layout element network and geometry data associated with layout elements may be inconsistent, or certain layout elements may overlap although their real-world counterparts do not. Unfortunately, these inconsistencies may not be detected by evaluating structural constraints implied by the schema alone. Additional constraints are thus required. Constraints are defined which are based on topological relationships derived from geometry data.Second, if a network-based layout has been found to be inconsistent, how can it be converted to a consistent one? This conversion is referred to as refinement. It involves the evaluation of the aforementioned topological constraints to recreate the layout element network and certain layout element geometries. As a result, layout elements and relationships may be added, removed, or left unchanged.The paper concludes with a discussion of the applicability of the described topological constraints in other building models.


While there is convincing evidence on the role of Aire-positive medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTEC) in the induction of central tolerance, the nature and function of post-Aire mTECs and Hassall's corpuscles have remained enigmatic. Here we summarize the existing data on these late stages of mTEC differentiation with special focus on their potential to contribute to central tolerance induction by triggering the unique pro-inflammatory microenvironment in the thymus. In order to complement the existing evidence that has been obtained from mouse models, we performed proteomic analysis on microdissected samples from human thymic medullary areas at different differentiation stages. The analysis confirms that at the post-Aire stages, the mTECs lose their nuclei but maintain machinery required for translation and exocytosis and also upregulate proteins specific to keratinocyte differentiation and cornification. In addition, at the late stages of differentiation, the human mTECs display a distinct pro-inflammatory signature, including upregulation of the potent endogenous TLR4 agonist S100A8/S100A9. Collectively, the study suggests a novel mechanism by which the post-Aire mTECs and Hassall's corpuscles contribute to the thymic microenvironment with potential cues on the induction of central tolerance.


The native arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is the vascular access of choice for patients on chronic hemodialysis (HD) because of its longevity and lower complication rate. Yet from 2001 to 2004 in Canada, there has been a notable increase in both incident and prevalent central venous catheter (CVC) use with a corresponding decrease in AVF use over the same time period (Moist, Trpeski, Na, & Lok, 2008). A similar trend has been found in other countries (Moist, Chang, Polkinghorne, & McDonald, 2007). There are a number of contributing factors to low AVF use in patients on chronic hemodialysis. While some of these factors may be patient-related, nursing interventions specific to cannulation may be a contributor. To date, little is known about HD nurses' attitudes and experiences regarding cannulation. The purpose of this study was to describe the culture and everyday practices of vascular access cannulation of the AVF from the perspective of the HD nurse. An ethnographic research design was employed, utilizing qualitative methods. Ten HD nurses were interviewed using a semi-structured interview tool, and a number of themes were generated from the interviews. One overarching theme of "perpetual novice" was evident, acknowledging the failure to transition from novice to expert cannulator despite working in HD for a number of years. Other common themes that emerged from the interviews were a) the lack of fistulas, b) the fistula as a "hard sell" to patients, c) the skill of cannulation, and d) the assembly-line approach to care. As a result of a number of factors, HD nurses were unable to acquire the skills necessary to become an expert cannulator. Moreover, the decrease in opportunities to practise cannulation has resulted in wide variation in skill level among HD nurses. To improve cannulation skills and achieve successful cannulation of AV fistulas, HD nurses identified a number of educational strategies that should take place. They also identified the need for an improved documentation system in order to track cannulation-related problems. Results of this study may be helpful in understanding the culture of cannulation in a chronic HD unit and in directing future educational, supportive, and practice interventions for HD nurses.


A severe coronavirus disease 2019 patient admitted to our institution for medical management was enrolled in a randomized placebo-controlled trial of an investigational therapeutic for coronavirus disease 2019. We leveraged existing video-telecommunication equipment to obtain informed consent. We found video-telecommunication use closely mirrored person-to-person contact for research consent by maintaining engagement and ensuring understanding. Video-telecommunication use facilitated clinical research while minimizing unnecessary exposure to coronavirus disease 2019 and conserving personal protective equipment. Prior to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, research regulatory agencies were essentially silent on the matter of video-telecommunication consent. Regulatory guidance became available during the pandemic in response to increased isolation and social distancing practices. Virtual health and telemedicine use expanded greatly during the pandemic, and this increase will likely persist after the pandemic ends. We anticipate video-telecommunication adoption and implementation for research consent will also continue to grow after the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic is over.


Severe endometriosis requires complex surgical and medical treatment to suppress the symptoms that may affect the quality of life of patients with this pathology. We report a case of stage IV endometriosis treated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist after conservative surgery. An 18-year-old nulliparous woman was admitted in our clinic with a history of severe chronic pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia and dysuria. After a clinical, biological, transvaginal ultrasonography and pelvic CT examination, we diagnosed an rectovaginal endometriosis and bilateral ovarian endometriotic cyst. During laparotomy, a stage IV pelvic endometriosis was found, with bilateral endometrioma of the ovaries, multiple adhesions, deep and superficial lesions of endometriosis. An extensive adhesiolysis, left oophorectomy, right cystectomy and partial omentectomy were performed. For the next 1.5 years, the patient was treated with GnRH for 3 months (goserelin acetate 3.6 mg/month) and then with continuous oral progestin therapy. After 1.5 years, the patient remained asymptomatic, the treatment improving the quality of life. In selected cases, GnRH agonists remains an effective treatment for recurrent symptoms of endometriosis, especially if administered early after surgical therapy.


TuringTool is a source program viewing and editing system specifically designed to support the software maintenance task. TuringTool bases all of its views of the program on a single comprehensive viewing paradigm borrowed from program development environments: source text elision. It is shown how this paradigm can be used to represent several kinds of views appropriate to the maintenance of large source programs, including structural views and nonstructural views appropriate to the maintenance task and how it can be extended to allow dynamic creation of complex programmer-specified views using simple set theoretic operators to combine the effects of several views into one. The system exploits the highly structured nature of the Turing programming language to allow seamless viewing of programs consisting of many separately compiled source modules as one uniform source. >


ABSTRACT There is scant knowledge regarding how cell surface lipid-anchored T-cadherin (T-cad) transmits signals through the plasma membrane to its intracellular targets. This study aimed to identify membrane proteins colocalizing with atypical glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored T-cad on the surface of endothelial cells and to evaluate their role as signaling adaptors for T-cad. Application of coimmunoprecipitation from endothelial cells expressing c-myc-tagged T-cad and high-performance liquid chromatography revealed putative association of T-cad with the following proteins: glucose-related protein GRP78, GABA-A receptor α1 subunit, integrin β3, and two hypothetical proteins, LOC124245 and FLJ32070. Association of Grp78 and integrin β3 with T-cad on the cell surface was confirmed by surface biotinylation and reciprocal immunoprecipitation and by confocal microscopy. Use of anti-Grp78 blocking antibodies, Grp78 small interfering RNA, and coexpression of constitutively active Akt demonstrated an essential role for surface Grp78 in T-cad-dependent survival signal transduction via Akt in endothelial cells. The findings herein are relevant in the context of both the identification of transmembrane signaling partners for GPI-anchored T-cad as well as the demonstration of a novel mechanism whereby Grp78 can influence endothelial cell survival as a cell surface signaling receptor rather than an intracellular chaperone.


The early stages of amphibole weathering result in the crystallization of several clay mineral species: tri- and dioctahedral smectites, interstratified dioctahedral kaolinite-smectite (K-S), and halloysite. Each clay mineral crystallizes into specific microsites which develop from etch pits along specific crystallographic directions in the host amphibole. Two types of microsites are recognized according to their location in the amphibole crystal and their clay mineral crystallizations. The first type is a plane surface related to the (110) amphibole cleavages where saponite particles crystallize in a characteristic honeycomb texture. The second type is a 'sawtooth' (001) fracture surface generated by etch-pit coalescence where (1) platy K-S particles crystallize directly in contact with the amphibole at the top of 'teeth', (2) halloysite particles with tubular habits crystallize directly in contact with the amphibole on the side of the 'teeth', and/or on the K-S particles, and (3) montmorillonite crystallizes in the central part of the (001) fracture as a layer with honeycomb texture in contact with the K-S platelets located at the top of 'teeth'. The microtextural relationships between the clay minerals and their host mineral suggest the following crystallization sequence: (1) saponite and montmorillonite crystallize first on the (110) and (001) surfaces, respectively; (2) as amphibole dissolution proceeds perpendicular to the (001) fracture planes, montmorillonites continue to form in the middle part of the widening fracture whereas K-S crystallizes on the 'sawtooth' termination; (3) in the last stage of weathering, tubular halloysite crystallizes on the side of the 'teeth', and/or on the K-S.


Irrigation-led farming system intensification and efficient use of ground and surface water resources are currently being championed as a crucial ingredient for achieving food security and reducing poverty in Nepal. The potential scope and sustainability of irrigation interventions under current and future climates however remains poorly understood. Potential adaptation options in Western Nepal were analyzed using bias-corrected Regional Climate Model (RCM) data and the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. The RCM climate change scenario suggested that average annual rainfall will increase by about 4% with occurrence of increased number and intensity of rainfall events in the winter. RCM outputs also suggested that average annual maximum temperature could decrease by 1.4 °C, and average annual minimum temperature may increase by 0.3 °C from 2021 to 2050. Similarly, average monthly streamflow volume could increase by about 65% from March–April, although it could decrease by about 10% in June. Our results highlight the tight hydrological coupling of surface and groundwater. Farmers making use of surface water for irrigation in upstream subbasins may inadvertently cause a decrease in average water availability in downstream subbasins at approximately 14%, which may result in increased need to abstract groundwater to compensate for deficits. Well-designed irrigated crop rotations that fully utilize both surface and groundwater conversely may increase groundwater levels by an average of 45 mm from 2022 to 2050, suggesting that in particular subbasins the cultivation of two crops a year may not cause long-term groundwater depletion. Modeled crop yield for the winter and spring seasons were however lower under future climate change scenarios, even with sufficient irrigation application. Lower yields were associated with shortened growing periods and high temperature stress. Irrigation intensification appears to be feasible if both surface and groundwater resources are appropriately targeted and rationally used. Conjunctive irrigation planning is required for equitable and year-round irrigation supply as neither the streamflow nor groundwater can provide full and year-round irrigation for intensified cropping systems without causing the degradation of natural resources.


Background Speech delay is one of the most common developmental delays in children. To minimize the negative outcomes of speech delay, risk factors should be explored to help in early patient diagnosis.
Objectives To assess for associations between delayed speech in children aged 1 to 2 years and possible risk factors including gender, gestational age, birth weight, asphyxia during birth, head circumference, anterior fontanelle closure, gross motor development, duration of breastfeeding, caregiver identity, number of siblings, exposure to gadgets and television, and social interaction.
Methods Parents of children aged 1 to 2 years who were treated at Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, and Klinik Anakku, Pondok Pinang in Jakarta from January 2018 to March 2018 were interviewed. Data were processed with SPSS Statistics for Mac and analyzed by Chi-square test and logistic regression method.
Results Of 126 subjects, 63 children had speech delay and 63 children had normal speech development. Multivariate analysis revealed that the significant risk factors for delayed speech were delayed gross motor development (OR 9.607; 95%CI 3.403 to 27.122; P<0.001), exclusive breastfeeding for less than 6 months (OR 3.278; 95%CI 1.244 to 8.637; P=0.016), and exposure to gadgets and television for more than 2 hours daily (OR 8.286; 95%CI 2.555 to 26.871; P<0.001).
Conclusion Delayed gross motor development, exclusive breastfeeding for less than 6 months, media exposure for more than 2 hours daily, and poor social interaction are risk factors for delayed speech development in children.


Objectives: To compare methods for planimetric assessment of denture plaque.

Methods: Stained and unstained plaque on complete dentures (n=40) were imaged using digital white light and a novel plaque imaging system, Quantitative Light-induced Fluorescence (QLF). QLF utilizes enamel autofluorescence as an indicator of demineralization. For dentures, QLF enables detection of fluorescing plaque. Planimetric data were also obtained for standards ranked subjectively on a 1 – 10 coverage scale. Preliminary in vitro assessment was made of an LED ring illuminating system (410nm) to detect plaque on dentures disclosed with fluorescein.

Results: Plaque was visible before disclosing on 55% of the dentures imaged. Images of disclosed plaque were suitable for planimetric measurement of coverage. Using white light, reflection interfered with plaque coverage analysis. This problem was overcome using QLF. However, half of the subjects' dentures were unsuitable for QLF assessment due to low fluorescence of the acrylic teeth: thus the software was unable to define tooth borders and calculate plaque area coverage. The denture base and fitting surface did not fluoresce. QLF assessment was also time consuming, requiring twice the number of images needed for white light analysis (12 per denture for the latter). Percentage coverage data obtained from the 1 – 10 ranked standards showed no correlation. Plaque disclosure using fluorescein provided good contrast for planimetric analysis of any denture surface.

Conclusion: QLF is not a suitable method for denture plaque assessment. The most clinically relevant surface to assess in terms of health is the fitting surface, and LED ring illumination generated good images for planimetric analysis of this surface. Effective plaque disclosure was provided by fluorescein. Planimetric plaque analysis offers improved quantification of plaque area measurement over subjective visual ranking. Partial funding from ReckittBenckiser.


Recent studies suggest that frugivorous primates might display a preference for the ethanol produced by microbia in overripe, fermenting fruit as an additional source of calories. We therefore assessed the taste responsiveness of eight spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) to the range of ethanol concentrations found in overripe, fermenting fruit (0.05-3.0%) and determined taste preference thresholds as well as relative taste preferences for ethanol presented in sucrose solutions and in fruit matrices, respectively. Using a two-bottle preference test of short duration (1 min) we found that spider monkeys are able to detect ethanol concentrations as low as 0.5%, that they prefer ethanol concentrations up to 3% over water, and that they prefer sucrose solutions and pureed fruit spiked with ethanol over equimolar sucrose solutions and pureed fruit without ethanol. However, when presented with an ethanol-spiked sucrose solution and a higher-concentrated sucrose solution without ethanol the animals clearly preferred the latter, even when the sucrose-ethanol mixture contained three times more calories. These results demonstrate that spider monkeys are more sensitive to the taste of ethanol than rats and humans, and that they prefer ecologically relevant suprathreshold concentrations of ethanol over water. Tests with sucrose solutions and pureed fruits that were either spiked with ethanol or not suggest that sweetness may be more important for the preferences displayed by the spider monkeys than the calories provided by ethanol. The present results therefore do not support the notion that dietary ethanol might be used by frugivorous primates as a supplemental source of calories.


This study challenges the assertion that an increase in L1 glossing results in more L2 reading comprehension.  The results of this study, a quantitative meta-analysis, indicate that there is a significant difference ( p = .04) in L2 reading comprehension between groups based on how much L1 glossing is provided.  It was found that the group with the highest average effect size–which had all computer-assisted language learning (CALL) studies–included studies with 50% or more L1 glossing.  However, the second largest mean effect size came from a group that contained 5% or less L1 glossing.  In looking across groups in this meta-analysis, it was found that of the six studies with the largest effect sizes, five of them were CALL studies.  In light of this finding, this paper will discuss the interaction of the variables of CALL glossing and percentage of text glossed in order to determine their possible influence on L2 reading comprehension.


In Earworm and Event Eldritch Priest questions the nature of the imagination in contemporary culture through the phenomenon of the earworm: those reveries that hijack our attention, the shivers that run down our spines, and the songs that stick in our heads. Through a series of meditations on music, animal mentality, abstraction, and metaphor, Priest uses the earworm and the states of daydreaming, mind-wandering, and delusion it can produce to outline how music is something that is felt as thought rather than listened to. Priest presents Earworm and Event as a tête-bêche—two books bound together with each end meeting in the middle. Where Earworm theorizes the entanglement of thought and feeling, Event performs it. Throughout, Priest conceptualizes the earworm as an event that offers insight into not only the way human brains process musical experiences, but how abstractions and the imagination play key roles in the composition and expression of our contemporary social environments and more-than-human milieus. Unconventional and ambitious, Earworm and Event offers new ways to interrogate the convergence of thought, sound, and affect.


Telecommunications in the current information age is increasingly relying on the wireless link. This is because wireless communication has made possible a variety of services ranging from voice to data and now to multimedia. Consequently, demand for new wireless capacity is growing rapidly at a very alarming rate. In a bid to cope with challenges of increasing demand for higher data rate, better quality of service, and higher network capacity, there is a migration from Single Input Single Output (SISO) antenna technology to a more promising Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) antenna technology. On the other hand, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) technique has emerged as a very popular multi-carrier modulation technique to combat the problems associated with physical properties of the wireless channels such as multipath fading, dispersion, and interference. The combination of MIMO technology with OFDM techniques, known as MIMO-OFDM Systems, a major challenge in SISO-OFDM and MIMO-OFDM system is estimation of accurate channel state information (CSI) in order to make possible coherent detection of the transmitted signal at the receiver end of the system. In this paper, we propose iterative channel estimation based on QR Decomposition for MIMO OFDM systems. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of QRD (QR decomposition) to reduce the computational complexity of channel estimation algorithms in MIMO-OFDM system, and design high performance channel estimation for this system by using iterative technique.


This study described antibiogram of Escherichia coli isolated from red hybrid tilapia. E. coli is a well known food pathogen. It is also a common organism found in the human gut and intestinal tract. There are significant data shows that E. coli was exist in tilapia fish. In this present study, bacteria isolated from tilapia using Eosin Methylene Blue agar (EMB agar) and identified through bacterial biochemical tests and conventional identification kit. In the present study, there were 19 types of antibiotic susceptibility were applied. The antibiotics that used in the present study were Compound Sulphonimides, Spiramycin, Fosfomycin, Tetracycline, Kanamycin, Chloramphenicol, Nalidixic acid, Oxytetracycline, Florfenicol, Novobiocin, Doxycycline, Sulphamethaoxazole, Amoxycilin, Colistin sulphate, Oxolinic acid, Erythromycin, Lincomycin, Oleandomycin, and Ampicillin. After the inoculation, the diameters of the bacteria were measured inhibition zone in millimeter (mm). The result of antibiogram of bacteria were interpreted into resistant (R), intermediary sensitive (I), sensitive (S) by refer to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) (2006). The present study result showed that 4 out of 19 antibiotics namely Kanamycin (60%), Fosfomycin (85%), Florfenicol (85%) and Chloramphenicol (100%) were sensitive toward E. coll. Hence, the rest of 15 types of antibiotics showed resistant to E. coil with the range 73% to 100%. In present study, it can help to establish database information of antimicrobial that is benefit for future study. Thus, this study provides useful information about application antibiotics used in tilapia farming for public health and consumption awareness.


This project describes the modeling process to design the packaging and heat exchanger for a half-bridge wide-bandgap (WBG) power semiconductor module. The module uses two silicon carbide, metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) devices per switch position that are soldered to an aluminum nitride, direct-bond copper (DBC) substrate. A baseplate cooling configuration (e.g., no thermal grease) is used along with a water-ethylene glycol, jet-impingement-style heat exchanger. The heat exchanger was designed to be fabricated using prototyping equipment from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, complies with automotive standards (for minimal channel sizes, flow rates, and coolant), and considers reliability aspects (i.e., erosion/corrosion). Device-scale computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is used first to design the slot jet impingement cooling configuration and compute the effective heat transfer coefficient (HTC) of the concept. The computed HTCs are then used as boundary conditions for a finite element study to optimize the package geometry (e.g., device layout and baseplate thickness) to minimize thermal resistance and minimize temperature variation between the module's four devices. Finally, a fluid manifold is designed to generate the slot jets and cool the devices. Module-scale CFD predicts a relatively low junction-to-fluid thermal resistance of 16.7 mm2·K/W, a 1.4°C temperature variation between devices, and a total pressure drop of 5,860 Pa (0.85 psi) for the design. The thermal resistance of the module design is about 67% lower than the 2015 BMW i3 power electronics/modules thermal resistance.


This paper presents a new channel allocation scheme with preemptive priority for the integrated voice/data mobile network. Based on the scheme, a two-dimensional Markov process is built, and the steady-state probability is solved by the matrix-analytic method. The preemptive priority mechanism introduced gives more benefit to voice traffic at the expense of degrading some data traffic, while the victim buffer compensates the degradation and has no negative effect on voice traffic. From the analysis and numerical results, we can conclude that our scheme can guarantee different QoS requirements from different traffic classes, and significantly improve the channel utilization.


We have performed neutron diffraction experiments on highly oriented α-Al2O3, obtained by slip casting under a magnetic field and sintering. In order to investigate the magnetic field, B, and sintering temperature, Tsint, dependence of the degree of alignment of the orientation, we used samples treated with systematically varied B up to 12 T and Tsint up to 1600 °C. The degree of alignment of the magnetic easy axis (the hexagonal c-axis) is rapidly enhanced by sintering above 1200 °C, which is coincident with the temperature at which crystal grains start to grow. The angular distribution of the c-axis for the sample sintered at 1600 °C, obtained by ω-scan neutron diffraction profiles, is almost coincident with the probability distribution calculated for the particle size two times larger than that in the starting material. We discuss the orientation process mechanism with sintering in light of the results of this analysis.


Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD) is a genetic disorder with an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance.It is caused by a defect in the structure of cilia, due to which ciliary movement, and consequently, its function, are impaired.  Sinusitis, nasal polyposis, and otitis media with effusion are commonly seen among patients presenting to the otolaryngologist, and PCD should be considered as an aetiological factor in these cases, especially in the refractory ones. A case presenting to an otolaryngologist is described with a review of salient literature.

 Key words: Nasal polyp, primary ciliary dyskinesia, Kartagener's syndrome.


Water samples were collected during 2002 from 2 streams and 28 wells located in agricultural areas in southern Georgia and analyzed for more than 180 pesticides (including herbicides, insecticides, and their degradation compounds). The most frequently detected pesticides in stream samples were the herbicide degradation compounds metolachlor ethane sulfonic acid (ESA) (74 percent of samples), metolachlor oxanilic acid (OA) (61 percent), and alachlor ESA (61 percent). In contrast, the parent compounds, metolachlor and alachlor, were not detected in stream samples (at a reporting level of 0.05 micrograms per liter [μg/L]). Atrazine was detected in 45 percent of stream samples; and the atrazine degradation compound, deethyldeisopropylatrazine, was detected in 13 percent of stream samples. In ground water, metolachlor ESA (67 percent of samples), alachlor ESA (48 percent), and metolachlor OA (33 percent) were the most frequently detected pesticides. In contrast, metolachlor was detected in only 7 percent of ground-water samples and alachlor was not detected in any ground-water samples. Concentrations of metolachlor did not exceed 0.13 μg/L in ground water; however, metolachlor ESA concentrations were as high as 19 μg/L and metolachlor OA concentrations were as high as 4.42 μg/L in ground water. The higher detection rates and higher concentrations of the metolachlor and alachlor degradation compounds relative to their parent compounds, highlight the importance of including herbicide degradation compounds in waterquality assessments to more fully evaluate the environmental fate of herbicides in hydrologic systems.


Instability and potential instability of the cervical spine in the child and adolescent not presenting as emergencies may be due to many causes. We have reviewed 30 patients treated surgically over a seven year period and have grouped them under four general headings: isolated congenital anomalies of the cervical spine, postlaminectomy instability, traumatic instability with delayed presentation, and bony or ligamentous inadequacy secondary to miscellaneous conditions. The variety of conditions permits few generalizations. However, an overview of the entire group supports the concept that abnormal motion in an immature spine or the potential for such motion should be viewed cautiously by the orthopedist, for it may herald severe neurologic compromise. When compromise has occurred, the decision to intervene is made easier. Should only increased motion or the potential for such be present, the natural history of the lesion, if available, should be the guide to treatment. If the natural history of a cervical spine lesion is not available and structural integrity is compromised with abnormal motion present, fusion is advised. Appropriate patient counseling as to the lack of an alternative, with the exception of prolonged bracing to avoid the hazards of life, is essential in this group of individuals.


Over a five year period, 11 cases of Sheehan's syndrome were seen in the Endocrinology Unit of a teaching hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria. The mean age at diagnosis was 35.1 years; the mean parity was four and the average interval between the obstetric injury and diagnosis was 6.9 years. Four patients were in middle socio-economic class and seven were in low socio-economic class. The most frequent presenting symptoms were failure of lactation (11 out of 11 patients) and amenorrhoea (9 out of 11 patients). Seven patients had multiple endocrine insufficiency involving essentially all pituitary cell types. Six out of 8 patients were lost to follow-up. In a review of autopsy records over a 5-year period at the same institution, out of 1,951 post-mortem examinations, no additional cases of Sheehan's were found. With an average of about two clinical cases per year, it would seem that Sheehan's syndrome is still a relatively rare entity in this part of the world in spite of the poor level of obstetric care generally available. There is a need for increased awareness about this disease on the part of practitioners in developing countries in order to establish whether this rarity is real or it is due to missed diagnosis.


A survey was mailed to a stratified random sample of 357 licensed dental hygienists residing in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between degree held and practitioner perceptions regarding the need for, interest in, and content and structure of postcertificate/postassociate programs leading to a bachelor of science in dental hygiene degree (BSDH). Responses were received from 250 practitioners (70%), which were evenly distributed among the five states. Respondents were asked to record their level of agreement with a series of statements pertaining to postcertificate/postassociate dental hygiene education using a five-point Likert scale ranging from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree." The findings indicated a significant correlation existed between degree held and practitioner perceptions regarding (1) the need for postcertificate/postassociate dental hygiene programs, (2) the testing of potential students for clinical competency, (3) granting academic credit for work experience, and (4) the provision of flexible attendance and scheduling options. There was no significant correlation between degree held and practitioner perceptions regarding (1) a required core curriculum with individualized specialty areas of study or (2) a baccalaureate in another or related discipline offers more career options than a BSDH.


In this paper, we propose a cluster-based feedback protocol for multiuser orthogonal frequency-division multiple-access (OFDMA) systems, where the capture effect is employed in each cluster to reduce the enormous system overhead induced by polling channel-state information. Then, we analyze the system throughput performance of the proposed feedback protocol. Compared with the full feedback scheme in the literature, numerical simulations show that the proposed protocol with clustered feedback in OFDMA systems achieves higher system throughput by employing the capture effect with limited feedback overhead, when the number of users is reasonably large. Moreover, compared with our previous protocol of Multiuser Diversity with Capture, the proposed one additionally exploits multiuser diversity in the frequency domain, thereby achieving better throughput performance as shown by the simulation results.


Contemporary understandings of class provide diverse interpretations of the concept. This paper proposes a four-part typology to make sense of this diversity, with class rendered as 'position', 'process', 'performance' and 'politics'. Each highlights a distinct dimension of class, but all are closely related. The paper then examines the ways in which class as position/process/performance/politics is complicated in the context of migration, and the transnational spaces thereby created. Using qualitative and quantitative data on migration from the Philippines to Canada, the paper argues that class analysis must form a part of understanding the migration process, but when viewed from the perspective of migrants themselves, class becomes articulated in unexpected and sometimes contradictory ways. It is only when migration and class are viewed in a transnational frame that the concepts of class adopted by migrants can be adequately understood.


We describe a compact cluster or group of massive red galaxies at z = 1.5 discovered in one of the Gemini Deep Deep Survey (GDDS) fields. Deep H-band imaging from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) reveals a high density of red galaxies associated with a galaxy with a spectroscopic redshift of 1.51. These galaxies have spectral energy distributions (SEDs) that peak between 3.6 and 4.5 μm, and fits to 12-band photometry reveal 12 or more galaxies with spectral shapes consistent with z = 1.5. Most are within ~170 comoving kpc of the GDDS galaxy, and the enclosed stellar mass is >6 × 1011 M☉. The colors of the most massive galaxies are close to those expected from passive evolution of simple stellar populations (SSPs) formed at much higher redshifts. We suggest that several of these galaxies will merge to form a single, very massive galaxy by the present day. This system may represent an example of a short-lived dense group or cluster core typical of the progenitors of massive clusters in the present day and suggests that the red sequence was in place in overdense regions at early times.


The use of parallel milling processes is increasing in various industries due to
several advantages of these machine tools. Parallel milling processes are the processes where more than one milling tool simultaneously cut a workpiece. Due to the increased number of cutting tools, they have the potential for considerable increase in productivity as a result of higher material removal rate (MRR). However, dynamic interactions between milling tools may reduce stability limits. Generally, direct dynamic coupling between two milling tools on such a machine is weak since they are located on different spindles. However, there can be a strong dynamic coupling in case of milling a flexible workpiece. In this case, the vibrations caused by one of the tools may have regenerative
effects on the other one. In order to address this problem, a stability model that works in time domain has been developed. The model is capable of simulating cases where two flexible milling tools are cutting a flexible workpiece. Several example cases are simulated with the model and results are presented.


MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNAs that can serve as tumor suppressor genes or oncogenes in tumorigenesis. More and more evidence demonstrate that abnormal expression of miRNAs lead to the gastric carcinoma occurrence. In the present study, we revealed that the expression levels of miR-520f were significantly down-regulated in gastric carcinoma cells and clinical gastric carcinoma samples. Next, we demonstrated that introduction of miR-520f inhibited the growth of gastric carcinoma cells in vitro. However, down-regulate the expression levels of miR-520f by anti-miR-520f lead to an enhanced cell proliferation, implying that miR-520f maybe serve as a novel tumor suppressor. Moreover, we found that ATPase family AAA domain-containing protein 2 (ATAD2) was one target genes of miR-520f downstream regulator, which caused the decreased expression of ATAD2. Meanwhile, the overexpression of ATAD2 reversed the inhibited proliferation ability caused by miR-520f. Therefore, our find that miR-520f involves in gastric carcinoma proliferation, pointing a therapeutic probability of miR-520f in the therapy of gastric carcinoma.


This paper sought to examine the role of bride price on the state of marriage among the Dagara of North-West Ghana. In the face of increasing scarcity of the items used in marriage in the study area, getting bride price has become a daunting task for many young men preparing to marry or already in marriage with consequences on the legitimacy and stability of families. Through purposive sampling, 5 FGDs and 9 personal interviews were conducted to obtain experiential information on bride price and state of marriage. The study revealed that the role of families, payback norms and incorporation (as part of bride price payment) are clear structures that have positive consequences for the stability of marriage; weakening potentially destabilising factors such as spousal abuse and the extra-marital sexual activities of men. Interestingly, the type and amount of items used for bride price have so much social and cultural significance that formal education and modernity has so far failed to completely change this practice among the people. The preceding allows us to conclude that the Dagara of Buo community are an epainogamous people, with societally supported marital norms and systems leading to marital stability. We recognise however that stability and longevity of marriage does not necessarily mean that spouses are 'happy and content' with their marriage. This is a relevant question that our current study did not explore. Thus, we recommend that a future quantitative study examine the relationship between marital stability and spousal 'happiness and contentment.'


Orienteering has gradually changed from a professional sport to a civilian sport. Especially in recent years, orienteering has been widely popularized. Many colleges and universities in China have also set up this course. With the improvement of people's living conditions, orienteering has really become a leisure sport in modern people's life. The reduced difficulty of sports enables more people to participate, but it also exposes a series of problems. As the existing positioning technology is relatively backward, the progress in personnel tracking, emergency services, and other aspects is slow. To solve these problems, a new intelligent orienteering application system is developed based on the Internet of things. ZigBee network architecture is adopted in the system. ZigBee is the mainstream scheme in the current wireless sensor network technology, which has many advantages such as convenient carrying, low power consumption, and signal stability. Due to the complex communication environment in mobile signal, the collected information is processed by signal amplification and signal anti-interference technology. By adding anti-interference devices, video isolators and other devices, the signal is guaranteed to the maximum extent. In order to verify the actual effect of this system, through a number of experimental studies including the relationship between error and traffic radius and the relationship between coverage and the number of anchor nodes, the data shows that the scheme studied in this paper has a greater improvement in comprehensive performance than the traditional scheme, significantly improving the accuracy and coverage. Especially the coverage is close to 100% in the simulation experiment. This research has achieved good results and can be widely used in orienteering training and competition.


The search for sustainable energy source that can compete with the existing one led to the discovery and acceptance of fuel cell technologies as a perfect replacement for fossil fuel. The ability of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) to capture the heat generation during the process of energy generation from electrochemical reactions favoured their recognition as a promising alternative energy source. This study therefore, focuses on the investigation of operating parameters on the SOFC performance through computer simulation of the developed mathematical model. This is achieved by simulating the effects of operating parameters on the SOFC performance. The results of computer simulation obtained reveal that pressure of the fuel, pressure of the oxidant and concentration of the fuel positively affects the SOFC performance. Analyses of these results also show that the operating temperature negatively affects the performance of the cell, for instance as cell temperature increases from 800oC to 1000oC the cell voltage decrease from 0.8402 V to 0.8400 V. The simulation of the cell efficiency also indicates that all the parameters investigated via computer simulation also affect the efficiency of the fuel cell with maximum heat generation of 19000 kJ. The developed model can be employ to predict SOFC performance at different operating conditions. Keywords :Alternative energy, technologies of fuel cells, mathematical modeling, computer simulation and solid oxide fuel cell.


A one-shot simultaneous-offers bargaining game is presented in which the unique pure strategy equilibrium offers are identical to those of the infinite-horizon Rubinstein alternating-offers game. For each player there is a small probability that his or her proposal will not arrive. A finitely-repeated version of the game with a small amount of (two-sided) incomplete information about disagreement payoffs is then used to explain the deadline effect. In any pure strategy equilibrium of this game agreement is reached only in the final period.\vspace{0.2in}


The influences of sex hormones on the blood pressure regulation have been known since decades. These were evidence by men, with higher testosterone level having higher blood pressure and incidence of hypertension as compared to the age-matched women. Besides, women after menopause who have higher testosterone to estrogen ratio possessing greater blood pressure as compared to women before menopause. Based on these observations, I hypothesized that testosterone might play an important role in causing the blood pressure to increase via affecting the sodium and water handling in the kidney and expression of genes that are involved in the blood pressure regulation in the brain. Therefore in this study, expression of proteins that are involved in sodium and water handling in kidney and gene profiling in the cardiovascular center of the brain were investigated under testosterone influence. This study was performed on normotensive and hypertensive rats which were gonadectomized and subsequently were given testosterone treatment. Two groups were employed which were gonadectomized male normotensive rats receiving sub-chronic (seven days) testosterone treatment and gonadectomized male and female normotensive and hypertensive rats receiving chronic (six weeks) testosterone treatment. Sub-chronic testosterone treatment increased the blood pressure and expression levels of epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) in the kidneys while expression levels of aquaporin (AQP) (AQP-1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7) were differentially regulated. Plasma aldosterone, sodium and glucose levels were increased but osmolality and urea levels were decreased. In these rats, co-administration of flutamide (androgen receptor antagonist) and finasteride (5α-reductase inhibitor) prevented the testosterone effects. Chronic testosterone treatment resulted in an increase in the blood pressure but ENaC and AQP expressions in the kidney decreased and increased, respectively. Plasma aldosterone, sodium, osmolality and urea levels were decreased. Chronic testosterone treatment also resulted in up-regulations of 1575, 23
iv
and 34 genes in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN), nucleus of solitary tract (NTS) and rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM), respectively. However, 252, 23 and 23 genes in these respective regions of the brain were down-regulated. Based on the fold changes of the genes relevant to blood pressure regulation, and following mRNA and protein validations, it was found that two genes in the PVN could be involved in mediating testosterone effects namely Ephx2 and Fcrl2. In overall, testosterone was found to increase the blood pressure, however in kidney, the mechanisms involved differ between periods of exposure. Sub-chronic exposure to testosterone could lead to sodium retention via the related increases in plasma aldosterone and kidney ENaC levels while chronic exposure to testosterone could lead to a decrease in sodium retention via the related decreases in plasma aldosterone and kidney ENaC levels. In both cases, testosterone exposure might also lead to water retention via increasing the kidney AQP expression. In view that chronic testosterone treatment affects the regulation of genes in the cardiovascular center of the brain, mainly the novel Ephx2 and Fcrl2 genes, therefore, it could be suggested that the blood pressure increased following chronic exposure to testosterone might be mediated through the mechanisms involving the brain rather than kidneys.


The modern distribution of goods is highly complex, as it supports a closely linked globalized world. In the development of port terminals, competition is no longer only at the level of services. The increase in maritime transport and demand/supply in the hinterlands, with ensuing problems of capacity, distribution and movement, have called for renewed attention on adequate structures and infrastructures. This evolution, enabled by technology, commercial interests and public policies, can be considered as a stage in the ongoing development of containerization and intermodal transport. At this stage, it is important to consider port terminals and maritime navigation networks as a system, together with terrestrial goods transport. Increasingly, regions are developing so-called dry or inland ports, to better serve the demand. We set out to define a sustainable model for dry ports, beginning with a review of relevant literature focused on Italian, Dutch and selected USA examples. We first define dry port, in the context of intermodal transport, ports in general and inland ports. Our investigation led to the identification of management tools and best practices. We report on visits and interviews to selected inland ports and identify key dry port activities, applications of innovative technologies and implications for different modes of transport. For the three countries studied, we identify strengths and weaknesses related to infrastructure, structures, internal organization of yard, types of imported and exported goods, transport methods and related travel times and costs. In regards to resilience and sustainability, vulnerabilities such as congestion, climate issues and cyber-attacks are considered. Finally, a maturity model for assessing dry ports is proposed.


Mineralization is a ubiquitous process in the animal kingdom and is fundamental to human development and health. Dysfunctional or aberrant mineralization leads to a variety of medical problems, and so an understanding of these processes is essential to their mitigation. Osteoblasts create the nano-composite structure of bone by secreting a collagenous extracellular matrix (ECM) on which apatite crystals subsequently form. However, despite their requisite function in building bone and decades of observations describing intracellular calcium phosphate, the precise role osteoblasts play in mediating bone apatite formation remains largely unknown. To better understand the relationship between intracellular and extracellular mineralization, we combined a sample-preparation method that simultaneously preserved mineral, ions, and ECM with nano-analytical electron microscopy techniques to examine osteoblasts in an in vitro model of bone formation. We identified calcium phosphate both within osteoblast mitochondrial granules and intracellular vesicles that transported material to the ECM. Moreover, we observed calcium-containing vesicles conjoining mitochondria, which also contained calcium, suggesting a storage and transport mechanism. Our observations further highlight the important relationship between intracellular calcium phosphate in osteoblasts and their role in mineralizing the ECM. These observations may have important implications in deciphering both how normal bone forms and in understanding pathological mineralization.